The best laptops for students

There's no way around it: You're bringing a computer to school, and unless you're a serious gamer or in training for some sort of creative field, you're probably looking at a new laptop. The Dell XPS 13 continues to be one of the best Windows laptops your money can buy -- it looks good, has an almost bezel-less display, a comfortable keyboard and, most importantly, it's lightweight and portable. Microsoft's Surface Laptop is another well-built and all-around good choice if you can live with Windows 10 S, the company's stripped-down OS designed largely with schools in mind.

If you'd rather get a gaming rig or if you need something powerful enough for photo and video editing, consider the MSI GS65 Stealth Thin: It's one of the lightest gaming laptops we've ever seen, and it gets bonus points for mustering decent battery life. Dell's G3 15 is another gaming laptop that can edit media -- it's an entry-level model that's not as powerful as the GS65, but it also costs $1,000 less.

In case you can't spare more than $500, the Asus Chromebook Flip C302 might be one of your best options. While Chrome OS is limited compared to a full-fledged platform, you can make up for its shortcoming by installing apps from Google Play. And of course, our list won't be complete without a MacBook Pro for those more at home with macOS. We recommend skipping the Touch Bar and getting the 13-inch model without one for hundreds less, though keep in mind it doesn't pack the same new processors as the Touch Bar configurations.

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